Fatigue testing machine



24, 1940. H. s. FULLRTQN 2,215,958.

FATIGUE TESTING MACHINEv INVENTOR A'FrQRNEYI HERBERT 5. FuLLEBToN Sept. 24, 1940- H. s. FuLLERToN FATIGUE TESTING MACHINE Filed April 27, 193e 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 O O O Ofoo 0 5 h. 2./14 .m l E 2 E V/ w wu. .l MF w8. 3 3 3 3 NT .w R m ,6 H ,7 5

Sept. 24, 1940. H. s. lFULJQE'RTOIQ 2,215,958

yFTIGUE TESTING MACHINE Filed April. 27, 1958- 3 Sheets-'Sheet 3 9 7 l. 5 4v 9V l HMH 8 4 5 El Y--. 9 IL l e I 4 s |I Irl 2 JV 0 4 3 4 4 M INVENTOR HEeBEeT S. FuLLEeTN BY A ORNEY Patented Sept. 24, 1940 FATIGUE TESTING MA s (11mm. l (cl. zes- 13) This invention relates generally to materials testing apparatus and more particularly to an improved fatigue testing machine. f l

A great many arrangements have heretofore been proposed andused in an attempt to provide a pulsating load for a test specimen in either tension or compression. However, such arrangements have been excessively costly, complicated or inconvenient and hence they have not been 1U considered entirely'satisfactory. 'Y

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved fatigue testing apparatus that is relatively simple and yet is rugged, compact, convenient and economical in operation and maintenance together with having maximum accuracyv and flexibility such as is required in apparatus of ing machines with little or no alteration thereto and without impairing the use of such a machine for straight tension or compression tests.

Other objects and advantages will be more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of one form of materials testing machine with my fatigue testing apparatus applied thereto; f

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional ,view of the upper end of the materials testing machine shown in Fig. l and with my improved fatigue testing apparatus shown as a self-contained unit adapted to be directly applied to the testing machine;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the operating togglel links taken substantially on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the flywheel taken 4g substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a side view of Fig. 2 taken from the right side thereof;

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the back side of Fig. 2, that is, the right side of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2;v

Fig. 8 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 1 but showing a modied arrangement of the toggle links and pulsating frame operated thereby, the

actuating motor and power transmitting elements being omitted for clarity; Fig. 9 is 4a vertical section taken on the line 9--9 of Fig. 8; l

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary side elevation of a pulsator frame for-tension and compression tests as applied to the 'types of machines shown in Figs. J 1and2.

In the particular embodiments of the invven.-l tion, such as are disclosed hereinmerely for the purpose of illustrating certain specific 'forms Il among possible others that the invention might f, take inpractice, I have shown a conventional type of hydraulically operated testing machine generally indicated at I.- 'I'his type of machine is disclosed in Emery Patent 1,848,468 although it will l0 be apparent from the disclosure herein that any suitable other type of tension and/or compression testing machine maybe employed. For purposes of illustration, however, the hydraulic machine disclosed herein has a main cylinder 2 and a load l5 producing ram 3 which is moved by fluid pressure from a suitable pump. vThe ram carries'a loading frame comprising a platform l, side rods 5, 5 and an upper crosshead 5'. Suitable grips generally indicated at 1 engage the upper end of a tension I20 specimen while a 1ow`er crosshead B has grips to engage the lower end of the specimen. .The crosshead 8 is mounted upon a sensitive frame 9 which carries a lower crosshead I0 acting upwardly on a hydraulic weighing support II. 'Ihe load ap- 25 plied to the specimen may be determined by measuring the fluid pressurein the main cylinder 2 although in accordance with said Emery patent a more accurate Weighing of the load is obtained by determining the pressure in the hydraulic sup- 30 port I I. y To impose a pulsating load on a tension speci'- men, the grips 1, Fig. 1, are formed in a suitable vertically movable crosshead I3 slidably guided in crosshead 6 of the main loading frame. A pair of 35 toggle links I4 and I5 are pivotally connected together by a central toggle pin I6 and are also re bly supported on a suitable flywheel 20 journalled in a suitable bracket 2l which is connected'to or suitably formed with loading frame I1. The 45 lcrank arm I9 is formed integrally with a base 22 which is slidably supported in a suitable guideway 23 formed on the outer face of flywheel 20. A screw 24 is threaded in member 22 and is jour? nailed in, and held against axial movement by, a 50 suitable bearing 25 secured to flywheel 20. This screw can be rotated in any suitable manner such as having worm and Worm gear elements generally indicated at26 one of which is secured to screw shaft 24 and the. other to a transverse shaft 21 anlassV y s.

l i the specimen through the action of toggle links curedtothein nerendoahait21soastobebodily rotatable with ywheel 2l. 'A solenoid 2l shownindetailinthe'modiiicaonof Fig. 6is secured to bracket 2| whereby upon energization of thesolenoid its plungerismoved outwardly into the path of starwheel 23to engage one arm thereof during each revolution oi the flywheel and accordingly rotatea worm and worm gear 23 and screw 2l thereby to move crank arm-I3 outwardly. When the desired extent of crank throw is obtained, the solenoid 231s deenergized to permit withdrawal oi 'its plunger from the path of star wheel 23. The extent of crank throw will determine the amount of pulsating load imposed upon I4 and I5. To initially assemble the crank throw and screw, a wrench may be applied to a lower squared end 3l of screw 24.

The flywheel 20 may be driven by a belt 3l and an electric motor 32 which is suitably secured to crosshead 5 as shown in Fig. 1. However, if it is desired to provide a self-contained pulsating unit adapted to be bodily placed upon a crosshead i' of an existing testing machine, the motor 32' may be supported upon a movable loading frame il' which is built as a separate unit and bolted as at 33 to the top surface of crosshead 6'.

This crosshead is provided with a usual grip relower end of toggle link 31 has a stationary pivot on the upper crosshead 38' of the main testing machine loading frame corresponding to crosshead 6 or 5'. 'I'he upper end of a toggle link 39 is pivotally connected to a vertical reciprocable crosshead ll which is vertically guided in the upper end of a loading frame 4i corresponding to frame-I1. As shown in Fig. 9, the crosshead 40 extends laterally of frame ll and carries a -pair of load transmitting; rods 42 whose lower ends are slidably guidedI at 42' in platform l, A grip crosshead 4 3 is secured to these rods to engage the upper end of the tension specimen while the lower end of these rods carries a crosshead Il for engaging a compression specimen. This arrangement permits a pulsating load to be applied to a specimenin either tension or compression. This modiilcation has the. further advantage that the center toggle link pin 45 moves toward its dead center position as the pulsating frame l2, I3 and M moves upwardly to apply an increasing load on the specimen. This allows 'a minimum power force to be applied to the toggle mechanism at the moment when the greatest loading force is applied as it is well known that toggle links produce a maximum force when approaching their dead center position.

'I'he modication shown in Fig. 10 simply substitutes a pulsating frame 49 for the tension grip' head 1 of Fig.' 2, This pulsating frame has a crosshead 50 carrying a tension grip 5| and side rods 52. 'I'hese side rods in turn carry a lower crosshead corresponding to M of Figs. 8 and 9, thereby to allow a compression test to be made. The remaining testing machine structure would be identical to that described in the other forms. Also the operating motor and control apparatus, omitted from Fig. 10, are identical to that of the other forms.

In operation of any of the various forms disclosed it is preferable to apply an initial mainy desired to increase the throw of crank arm I9- which is accomplished merely by closing the simple electrical circuit for solenoid 29. The solenoid plunger thereupon moves into the path of star wheel 28 to cause the same to be rotated during rotation of ywheel 2i. Rotation of the star wheel causes rotation of screw 2l with consequent outward radial movement oi the crank arm. This will either maintain a given pulsating load on the specimen or increase. the pulsating load to a desired extent.

From the foregoing it is seen that my improved pulsating apparatus is adapted to be used either in existing or nearly built testing machines and also has a high degree oi ruggedness and ilexibility of operation together with accuracy in application of load. 4

It will of course be understood that various changes in details of construction and arrangement of parts maybe madel by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. The combination in a materials testing machine comprising a plurality of means for respectively engaging the opposite ends 'of a specimen, a movable loading frame carrying a crosshead for movably supporting one of said specimen. engaging means, means for moving said frame to impose an initial load on said specimen, toggle links connected to and bodily movable with said crosshead and also connected to said movable specimen engaging means, a rotatable crank supported by said crosshead, and a connecting rod between said. crank and toggle links to eiect oscillation thereof with consequent reciprocation of said movable 'specimen engaging means whereby a pulsating load is superimposed on the initial load of said specimen.

2. 'I'he combination set forth in claim l further characterized by the provision of means for radially adjustably supporting said crank, and means supported by and movable with said crosshead ior eiecting radial adjustment of said crank during rotation thereof.

3. A materials testing machine comprising, in combination,a main movable loading frame having side rods and a crosshead, a plurality of means for respectively engaging the opposite ends of a specimen under test, one of said specimen engaging means beinglnovably supported by said crosshead, means connected tov and bodily movable with said movable cross-head for reciprocating said movable specimen engaging means to impose a pulsating load on a specimen, power means supported by said crosshead for eiecting said reciprocable movement of the specimen engaging means, and loading means for moving said frame and its cross-head to impose an initial load on the specimen. y

4. A materials testing machine comprising, in

combination, a main movable vloading frame having side rods and a cross-head, a plurality of means for respectively engaging the opposite ends of a specimen under test, one of said specimen. engaging means being movably supported by saidy cross-head, means connected to and bodily movn able with said movable cross-head for relatively moving said specimen engaging means to impose a pulsating load'on a specimen, a main ram 'and cylinder for moving said loading frame andits posed adjacent said main cylinder beneath the.

same and an upperv cross-head disposed intermediately of said loading frame cross-heads, a

hydraulic support disposed in a plane between the lower end of said main cylinder and the lower sensitive cross-head. adjacent thereto, said intermediate sensitive cross-head having specimen-em gagingl means, means for engaging the other end of a specimen adjacent the upper cross-head of the loading frame, and pulsating means carried by and movable with said upper loading frame cross-head for imposing apulsatingload on the specimen after it is initially loaded by said main ram and cylinder through said loading frame.

6. A materials testing machinecomprising, in combination, a main cylinder, a ram therein having lower and upper cross-heads connected to side rods to provide a loading frame, a sensitive Weighing -frame having a lower cross-head disposed adjacent said main cylinder beneath the same and an vupper cross-head disposed intermediately of saidvloading frame cross-head, a hydraulic support disposed in a plane between the lower end of said main cylinder and the lower sensitive cross-head adjacent thereto, said intermediate sensitive cross-head having specimen engaging means, a pulsating frame having side rods supporting a specimen engaging cross-head disposed on one sidelof said intermediate cross-head,` and means carried by and movable with the upper loading frame cross-head and connected to said pulsating frame for eiecting continuous `reciprocation thereof.

HERBERT S. FULLERTON. 

